1. Immigrant generation, selective acculturation, and alcohol use among Latina/o adolescents.
- Author
-
Eitle TM, Wahl AM, and Aranda E
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Emigrants and Immigrants statistics & numerical data, Family Characteristics ethnology, Female, Hispanic or Latino statistics & numerical data, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Logistic Models, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Psychology, Adolescent, Risk Factors, Socioeconomic Factors, United States epidemiology, Acculturation, Adolescent Behavior ethnology, Alcohol Drinking ethnology, Emigrants and Immigrants psychology, Hispanic or Latino psychology
- Abstract
Do alcohol use and binge drinking among Latina/o adolescents increase in the second and third generation? This study explores generational differences in alcohol use behaviors for three Latina/o ethnic groups. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health on 1504 Latina/o adolescents in secondary school, we found that the factors associated with alcohol use behaviors differed across the Latina/o groups. For Mexican and Cuban adolescents, but not Puerto Ricans, immigrant generation was associated with alcohol use. For Mexican, but not Cuban adolescents, acculturation mediated the effect of immigrant generation on alcohol use behaviors. Although generally social capital and a co-ethnic presence were protective factors against alcohol use behaviors, we found that some forms of social capital were actually risk factors for Cubans and Puerto Ricans. Our results provide support for segmented-assimilation theory.
- Published
- 2009
- Full Text
- View/download PDF